PM and Home Secretary Attacked for Failing to Act on Violent Crime in London

An MP whose constituency has seen four people killed since Christmas amid a spike in London violence has attacked the Government for failing to take action.

David Lammy, who represents Tottenham, said he has not received a phone call from the Prime Minister or the Home Secretary, let alone a visit.

He tweeted as the Met Police launched a murder investigation into the death of a man who died following a fight outside a bookmakers in the borough of Hackney.

He became the 49th to die as a result of violent crime in London this year.

The Met also said it was employing a tactic “across the entirety of London” normally “used to deter, detect and disrupt terrorism” from Thursday in a bid to tackle the outbreak.

Is a life in my constituency worth less than a life elsewhere in our country? I have had four young people lose their lives since Christmas and not a single phone call or visit from the PM or Home Secretary. Where is the political consensus on a serious strategy? Enough is enough

Mr Lammy said on Twitter: “Is a life in my constituency worth less than a life elsewhere in our country?

“I have had four young people lose their lives since Christmas and not a single phone call or visit from the PM or Home Secretary.

“Where is the political consensus on a serious strategy? Enough is enough.”

The four who have died in Tottenham are thought to be: Iuliana Tudos, 22, whose stabbed and beaten body was found in Finsbury Park on 27 December; Kwabena Nelson, 22, who was stabbed in the Bruce Grove area of Tottenham on 3 February; Leyla Mtumwa, 36, who was found stabbed to death at an address in the Downhills Park area on 30 March; and Tanesha Melbourne, 17, who died from gunshot wounds after a drive-by shooting in the Northumberland Park area on 2 April.

Ms Mtumwa and Tanesha were two of the seven who have been killed since last Friday, prompting fears this year’s murder rate could well outstrip that of 2017.

The latest victim to be killed was a man in his 50s who died outside a Betfred bookmakers in Upper Clapton Road, Clapton, following a suspected fight.

A police spokeswoman said the Met Police began a murder investigation into the death on Thursday morning.

A statement said at this stage there have been no arrests.

Another to die on Wednesday evening was an 18-year-old who was found with multiple stab wounds in Hackney.

The injured man approached police officers on patrol shortly before 8pm. Officers provided first aid and ambulance crews were called but they were unable to save him.

He died at the scene shortly before 8.25pm.

It was originally reported he was in his 20s but police have now said he was 18. He is yet to be named. There is no evidence to suggest the murders are linked.

The Metropolitan Police said two youths, both aged 17, have been arrested on suspicion of murder over the death of the 18-year-old.

Mr Lammy said he believes that the billions to be made in the drug market are responsible for inter gang conflict and violence.

“Buying cocaine is easier than ordering a pizza on Deliveroo. And I’m hearing nothing from the Government about what they’re going to do about organised crime and serious gangsters who control this market,” he added.

Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott, who is MP for Hackney, also called for more government action over the rise in killings in London.

She told Sky News: “We need more police officers on the street. Here in Hackney, we have lost one in four of our police officers since 2010.

“We also need to look at what they’ve successfully done in Glasgow, which was the knife crime capital of the country.

“They have taken a public health approach, which means working with schools, with mental health facilities, with social workers, with youth work, to have a real chance of a solution and the remarkable thing is in Glasgow, since adopting this approach, last year they had no deaths from knife crime.”

Meanwhile, Richard Osborn-Brooks, 78, is being held on suspicion of murdering a suspected burglar in Hither Green, southeast London, on Wednesday.

A statement from the Home Office said: “The UK has some of the toughest gun laws in the world and we are determined to keep it that way.

“We have already consulted on new laws on offensive and dangerous weapons, including banning online stores from delivering knives to residential addresses and making it an offence to possess certain weapons in private.

“Our new Serious Violence Strategy will put a stronger focus on steering young people away from violence whilst continuing to ensure the strongest possible law enforcement response.

“As part of the strategy we have already announced new funding of up to £1 million for the Home Office Community Fund which will be provided to help communities tackle knife crime and have launched a new advertising campaign to reduce knife crime among young people.”

The Met Police’s Project Servator, which is already in place in the City, was extended on Thursday to cover the whole of the capital, including its airports.

Highly visible and covert police officers, supported by dogs, mounted officers, firearms teams, vehicle checkpoints, Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) and CCTV, will be deployed at any time, anywhere, a Met statement said.